Charles ruled without a Parliament for eleven years.  He might, perhaps, have gone on in this way for as many more, had he not provoked the Scots to rebel by attempting to force a modified form of the English Prayer Book on the Church of that country (S438).  The necessities of the war with the Scots compelled the King to call a Parliament.  It declined to grant the King money to carry on the war unless he would give some satisfactory guarantee of governing according to the will of the people.  Charles refused to do this, and after a three weeks’ session he dissolved what was known as the “Short Parliament.”

19.  The “Long Parliament”; the Civil War.

But the war gave Charles no choice, and before the year was out he was obliged to call the famous “Long Parliament” of 1640.[2] That body met with the firm determination to restore the liberties of Englishmen or to perish in the attempt. (1) It impeached Strafford and Laud, and sent them to the scaffold as traitors.[3] (2) It swept away those instruments of royal oppression, the Court of Star Chamber and the High Commission Court (SS330, 382). (3) It expelled the bishops from the House of Lords. (4) It passed the Triennial Bill, compelling the King to summon a Parliament at least once in three years.[4] (5) It also passed a law declaring that the King could not suspend or dissolve Parliament without its consent. (6) Last of all, the Commons drew up the Grand Remonstrance (S439), enunciating at great length the grievances of the last sixteen years, and vehemently appealing to the people to support them in their attempts at reform.  The Remonstrance was printed and distributed throughout England.[1]

[2] The “Long Parliament”:  it sat from 1640 to 1653, and was not finally dissolved until 1660. [3] Charles assured Strafford that Parliament should not touch “a hair of his head”; but to save himself the King signed the Bill of Attainder (see p.xxxii), which sent his ablest and most faithful servant to the block.  Well might Strafford exclaim, “Put not your trust in princes.” [4] The Triennial Act was repealed in 1664 and reenacted in 1694.  In 1716 the Septennial Act increased the limit of three years to seven.  This act is still in force. [1] The press soon became, for the first time, a most active agent of political agitation, both for and against the King (S443).

About a month later (1642) the King, at the head of an armed force, undertook to seize Hampden, Pym, and three other of the most active members of the Commons on a charge of treason (S449).  The attempt failed.  Soon afterwards the Commons passed the Militia Bill, and thus took the command of the national militia and of the chief fortresses of the realm, “to hold,” as they said, “for King and Parliament.”  The act was unconstitutional; but, after the attempted seizure of the five members, the Commons felt certain that if they left the command of the militia in the King’s hands, they would simply sign their own death warrant.